CANADIAN
COUNCIL
OF FOREST
MINISTERS
f a ct sh ee t
GROWING CANADA’S
FORESTS
Companies that harvest Canada’s public
forests must regenerate them to reflect
the original natural diversity. Silvicultural
practices must address ecological issues
such as forest health, wildlife habitat and
biodiversity, as well as timber production
Stand tending, Harvesting & Regeneration
Cycle for Silvicultural Activities
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Choosing the Right System
A silviculture system covers all
manage ment activities related to
growing forests—from early planning
through harvesting, replanting and
tending the new forest. Canada’s
diverse forests are generally managed
under one or a blend of three
silvicultural systems:
• The clearcut system removes most
of the trees from an area, with
patches of trees and buffers left to
protect other values.
• The shelterwood system harvests
trees in stages over a short period
of time so the new forest grows
under the shelter of the existing
trees.
• The selection system removes
timber as single trees or in small
groups at relatively short intervals,
repeated indefinitely. This is done
carefully to protect the quality and
value of the forest area.
Forest managers consider a variety of
factors when choosing a silviculture
system, including the tree species;
their age and condition; soils; local
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ecology; and possible impacts on
values such as wildlife habitat, water
quality and scenery. They also look at
economic and social factors, including
cost, timber productivity and worker
safety.
As a result, silvicultural systems meet
the unique needs of each forest site.
The clearcut and shelterwood systems
are used to manage even aged forests
such as the boreal forest, which are
defined by relatively small age
differences between individual trees.
Clearcutting is generally the most
ecologically appropriate way to
harvest and renew the boreal forest
because it most closely resembles the
large natural disturbances, such as
fire, wind, floods and insects, which
are common in the region.
Tree species such as black spruce, jack
pine, aspen, and birch germinate and
grow best in full sunlight, resulting in
natural, pure stands of trees of the
same age.
The selection system is used to
manage uneven-aged stands, which
means the forest has trees in various
stages of development, including
seedling, juvenile and mature trees. It
is appropriate for species that thrive in
shade such as western red cedar and
sugar maple.
Canada’s Diverse Forests
Canada’s diverse woodlands
cover about 400 million hectares
(988 million acres). Less than one
per cent of the land available for
commercial forest activities is
harvested annually. In contrast, on
average, an area more than twice
this size is damaged each year by
wildfire, insects and disease.
Companies that harvest Canada’s
public lands are responsible for
reforestation, which is one of the
reasons why Canada has about 90
per cent of the forested area it had
before European settlement.
CANADIAN
COUNCIL
OF FOREST
MINISTERS
f a ct sh ee t
Once a site is renewed through the
clearcut or shelterwood system, it is
left to grow freely until it is mature in
60 to 120 years. Clearcutting is often
safer for forest workers and can be the
best way to deal with pests or disease.
Managing Forests Naturally
Managing an Even-Aged Forest
Clearcutting results in a new, even
aged forest that can be regenerated
naturally or through planting
Harvesting is done in blocks, strips,
patches or other configurations to
mimic natural disturbance patterns.
Debris such as stumps, branches and
fallen trees are left on the forest floor
to maintain biodiversity and to
provide habitat for plants, animals and
insects, and nutrients for soil
development. In order to protect water
quality and habitat, areas of uncut
forest are left along rivers and lakes
and around and in areas important to
wildlife such as nesting and moose
calving sites.
Cut boundaries often follow natural
landscape contours, and reserves are
left throughout and within larger
patches to protect features such as
wildlife corridors. Harvest operations
are laid out to maintain or enhance a
variety of habitat. For example, moose
require dense, mature coniferous
forests as winter cover close to areas
with young woody shoots used for
food sources.
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Forest managers plan the new forest
long before a tree is cut. They can
encourage natural regeneration by
harvesting after a good seed year or
by leaving uncut strips, patches and
individual seed trees. More than half
of the area harvested in Canada
regenerates naturally, and the rest is
replanted or seeded.
In British Columbia, where the
unprecedented mountain pine beetle
infestation has led to large-scale
salvage harvesting, the province’s
chief forester has recommended that
companies leave behind more dead
trees, understory vegetation and
coarse woody debris to better
resemble the natural outcome and
help to protect biodiversity.
Ontario’s Forest Management Guide
for Boreal Landscapes and Forest
Management Guide for Conserving
Biodiversity at the Stand and Site
Scales require that harvest areas retain
large uncut patches within the blocks
and approximately 25 large living and
dead trees per hectare to provide
seeds, wildlife habitat, food and
shelter and to maintain biodiversity
and to support natural ecological
processes.
Canada is always looking for ways to
meet the ecological needs of each site
and the demand for fibre while
addressing public concerns about
forest harvesting.
Certification and
Clearcutting
Canada has the world’s largest
area of forest certified to thirdparty sustainable forest
certification. Among other things,
the three globally recognized
certification standards used in
Canada all ensure that harvested
areas are reforested and that
biological diversity is conserved.
CSA, FSC and SFI all allow
clearcutting as an acceptable
harvesting method when used
appropriately.